Starting a trade business in Australia: a practical checklist
Everything you need to sort before your first paid job as a sole trader or small trade business, in the order most tradies tackle it, with the official links for each step.
Articles for tradies
Plain-English guides for sole traders and small trade businesses in Australia: setting up and running the business, finding work, insurance and permits, and keeping the books. Every figure links to its official source.
Running a trade business
Setting up, structuring and running the day-to-day of a trade business in Australia, from your ABN to your first quote.
Sole trader vs company in Australia: which suits a tradie?
Most tradies start as sole traders, and some move to a company as the business grows. Here's how the two compare on tax, cost, risk and paperwork in 2026–27.
How to quote a job: a step-by-step guide for tradies
A good quote wins the job and protects your margin. This guide walks through each step, from the site visit to the follow-up, and the state rules on written contracts.
Marketing
Practical ways to find more of the right customers: reviews, a website that works on a phone, local word of mouth, and the advertising rules to follow.
Marketing for tradies in Australia: what works and what the rules say
Most trade businesses run on referrals and repeat work. Here's how to build on that with a Google profile, reviews, a simple website and honest advertising, using ABS data on how trade businesses show up online.
Tradie websites: what yours needs to win work
Fewer than half of construction businesses have their own website, according to the ABS. A simple, fast site that answers customers' questions can set you apart. Here's what to put on it.
How to get Google reviews as a tradie (and stay within the rules)
Reviews are often the first thing a new customer checks. This guide covers how to ask for them, how to reply, and the ACCC and Google rules that can land a business in trouble.
Insurance and permits
The cover and the paperwork that let you work legally: business insurance, trade and contractor licences, and home warranty insurance, state by state.
Public liability and other insurance for tradies: what you need
Public liability is the policy most clients ask about, but it's only part of the picture. Here's what each type of cover does, which ones the law requires, and the gaps sole traders often miss.
Trade licence requirements in Australia, state by state
Licensing is run by each state and territory, and the rules differ a lot. This guide sets out the dollar thresholds for building work, the trades that always need a licence, and where to check.
Home warranty insurance for builders and tradies: the rules in each state
If you contract directly with homeowners for residential building work, you may have to arrange home warranty insurance before you start or take a deposit. The thresholds changed in several states in 2025 and 2026.
Accounting and bookkeeping
Keep the books tidy without losing your weekends: BAS and GST, a simple weekly routine, the records the ATO expects, and super for yourself and your team.
BAS for sole traders: due dates, GST and how to lodge
If you're registered for GST, the business activity statement is the deadline that comes round every quarter. Here's what goes on it, when it's due, and how to make it a half-hour job.
Bookkeeping for tradies: a simple routine that keeps the ATO happy
Most bookkeeping pain comes from leaving it until BAS time. A short weekly routine, and knowing which records you have to keep, takes most of the stress out of it.
Super for sole traders: paying yourself and your team
As a sole trader nobody pays super for you, and the rules for your workers changed on 1 July 2026. Here's how super works for you, your employees and your subcontractors.
Run the business side in minutes a day
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